Never Turn Your Back on the Ocean
by naggeluide
Summary: It's early morning on Ember Island, the lighting is insane and the world might end in a couple weeks, so Zuko's teaching Sokka how to surf. Otherwise known as a missing scene from The Duke's a Hazard, but really just an excuse to write holiday fluff.


**A/N:** This is officially a missing scene from _The Duke's a Hazard_, but the only thing you need to know from the main story is that Zuko and Sokka are platonically co-parenting the Duke, who is six, due to Plot Reasons *cough Katara cough*. Sokka and Suki broke up before the Gaang arrived at Ember Island.

Were I to suggest a musical accompaniment a la fanfiction-dot-net two-thousand-and-ha-ha-I'm-old, it would be _Volar_ por Alvaro Soler.

* * *

"You _would_ be the type to get cold feet," Sokka snorted, adjusting the waxed board under his arm as they walked down to the water. A slight chill still clung to the sand, remnants of early morning condensation clumping it damply between his toes. The first pinks of sunrise were dancing in the sky, split around clouds to lazy splashes of color reflected off the steady waves.

"Your sister's crazy," Zuko responded bluntly. Sokka might agree, about not only Katara but anyone who would willingly stand barefoot on a slab of ice, but he certainly wasn't going to say so to Zuko.

"So's yours," muttered Sokka, stealing a peek at the firebender striding beside him and wishing he hadn't, for the way it made the breath catch in his throat. Zuko's fine features were softened by the dawn, the pastel lighting smoothing away the usual hardness present in his face. Although perhaps, Sokka could always hope, the Fire Prince was also finally learning to relax.

As if that could happen. They had reached their spot, and Zuko set down the board he carried on the sand. Gold eyes narrowed. "Mountain climbers. Two minutes," he barked out, and started the exercises himself.

"I thought we were surfing, not climbing," Sokka quipped, but tugged off his shirt anyway and bent down to the sand next to his friend to join in.

"Either way, you need a good warm-up," Zuko reasoned, glancing to look at Sokka and losing his balance for a second.

"Some of us _who get cold feet_ might need it more than others," Sokka pointed out wryly, contentedly watching Zuko's face flush at that, and not just from the exertion. One point, Sokka.

By the time they were done with warm-ups, the sky had done away with blush pinks in favor ever-more-brilliant gold, highlighting soft sand and glinting off harsh gems split from the sea by steady surf. Zuko was shirtless too now, covered in a fine sheen of sweat like molten sunshine, although his eyes could rival the very sun itself for intensity. Minus five points, Sokka, for thirsting over your friend and _co-parent_. Maybe Sokka just needed some actual water. Yeah, that was it.

That was not it at all, he wailed internally, eyes raking over the tensed muscles of Zuko's back as the firebender lowered into a low cobra pose on the sand.

"This is called the pop-up," Zuko said without preamble, then floated to a wide lunge in a single fluid movement. "It's how you'll go from paddling to actually surfing, once you catch the wave. Eyes up, head up, pop up," he chanted, an echo of an old lesson.

"Right," Sokka stammered. Surfing. "Um, can you show me that again?" He did his level best to pay attention to the technique this time around. Honestly, he did.

"This is easy," Sokka decided eventually, after trying the movement several times himself. He was goofy-footed, it turned out, which meant that he favored his left foot to the back of his stance, even though he was right-handed.

"Well, we'll see how you manage it on a wave," said his instructor, unimpressed. "Do it again."

He did it again. And again, and again, and again, until he was starting to realize that the simple-looking movement in fact required quite a bit of core strength and hip mobility. "I didn't come here for a workout, I came here for fun in the ocean," Sokka complained, taking a break between sets.

Zuko gave him the trademark flat stare of the socially unaware. "I thought you said you came here to surf," he said.

Sokka squinted up at him. "Yes?"

Zuko did as their six-year-old, and stubbornly ignored all Sokka's attempts at negotiation in favor of his own logic. "So. Again."

Sokka thought he saw the smile that Zuko was trying and failing to hide. Right. Sometimes he forgot that Zuko used to be a bad guy.

He hoped, at least, that the firebender was enjoying the view.

* * *

Finally they were out on the water. Sokka had had a bit of trouble ducking under the waves on the way out, but he was Water Tribe, dammit, and was not going to get shown up in his own element by someone from his opposite element. Sure, he'd been raised to be wary of the water, because in a climate where even sweating too much could put you on the fast-track to hypothermia, submerging was practically a death sentence. The idea of playing in the waves was … well, at first it had struck Sokka as a very Fire Nation thing to do. Exerting control over the other elements, or something like that, proving the superiority of fire by using it to warm yourself up while you wrestled the waves to your bidding.

Turns out, it wasn't like that at all. It was _nice_, and not just because he had good company. The rise and fall of the swells was hypnotic, and studying the patterns of the wave sets that would come and go, deciding which ones they could work with and which ones to let pass - it was all very meditative and respectful.

Not to mention exciting. That rush of thrill when Sokka first caught a wave, feeling it push him effortlessly forward - he imagined that must be what Katara felt sometimes with her bending. And just like bending, surfing too was a skill; the same stances needed to be drilled to perfection, while remaining adaptable to each new situation that came his way. Yes, this was something that Sokka thought he could enjoy very much.

They were resting, now, watching and waiting for the perfect wave. The sun had finished its dazzling accent into daylight, and clouds drifted white and silver-sandwich-lined across a blue sky, leaving deep turquoise shadows on the green sea. Sokka was lying lazily on his board with his head propped up on his elbows, watching Zuko, who was sitting astride his own board, facing out to sea.

He _was_ happy, Sokka decided, seeing something in the lack of tension in the shoulders, the clear gaze shining out from under salt-stiffened hair swept back by the wind. Zuko felt Sokka's contemplation and looked over; a faint smile tugged at his lips, and Sokka felt an answering tug deep in his belly.

"Never turn your back on the ocean," Zuko offered, voice serious as ever but contrasted by the sparkle in his eyes.

"That sounds like a proverb," Sokka remarked. He felt strangely light, enjoying the feeling of being here and happy together, and decided on a whim to try to tease Zuko's smile into full bloom. "Are you sure that isn't just something your Uncle told you?" He put the full power of the trademarked Sokka Charm behind his saucy grin, turned his board sideways to face Zuko's, and waited for his roguish good looks to work their magic.

Zuko was fighting a rapidly losing battle, Sokka noted with no small amount of pleasure. A smile really was the perfect complement to Zuko's lovely face, Sokka thought, grinning himself as it started to appear. Until Zuko directed his gaze back out to sea once more, and it turned downright evil. Sokka startled and looked over his shoulder, then cursed when he saw the wave. Frantically, he struggled to get his board turned into the wave so he could duck under it like Zuko was preparing to do, but it was too late and his board was still mostly sideways when the wave hit -

Sokka felt himself be churned into the waters as the wave broke over his head, sweeping his board into shore and dragging Sokka along with it, attached by the leash around his ankle. The heavy rush of water surrounded him, a sobering reminder of the power of the element; Sokka was helpless against it as the waters tumbled him around, completely at the ocean's mercy. What felt like an eternity later, the pressure relented and Sokka burst above the surface, dragging in a grateful breath. His hair tie had broken or been washed away, and Sokka clawed long strands out of his face as he stood up in the shallows.

He was greeted by the sight of Zuko riding towards him on the dying surf of a wave, smug as hell as he called out "Not a proverb."

_Jerk_.

Sokka grinned and leapt to tackle the firebender off his board as he passed. Zuko fell into the water with an undignified squawk, barely avoiding bashing his head on his own surfboard. Sokka still had leverage and no shortage of willpower, so he dunked Zuko into a wave as soon as the other boy's head was within reach.

… Zuko didn't come back up.

Sokka did not panic, because even though the Fire Prince had a long history of head injuries, he semi-miraculously always managed to pull himself up again and fight on. Besides, they'd been on Ember Island long enough for him to notice that Zuko could hold his breath for a really, really long time. And yet… Sokka's surfboard was bobbing slowly towards shore because he'd slipped his leash in order to get the jump on Zuko, but why was _Zuko's_ board doing the same thing? Was that right? Wrong? Sokka didn't know, he'd just learned surfing an hour ago.

It had been a really, really long time, and Sokka was now actively splashing through the foam-obscured waters searching for his friend.

A strong grip tugged Sokka's leg right out from under him, and Sokka face-planted into salt water, spread-eagled. He flipped over, kicking off the too-warm hand, and surfaced to find Zuko upright and _laughing_.

Damned if it wasn't the most beautiful thing Sokka had ever _seen_.

Entranced by the sight and sound, Sokka sat in the shallow water, letting the waves wash over his shoulders as he stared. Zuko looked so young and carefree it was painful, a vision of who he could have been if not for the cruelty of a war started by his fathers. An illusion that was quickly broken when Zuko turned towards Sokka, bringing the reddened skin of his scar into view. Perhaps, thought Sokka, dazed, this moment was only the more beautiful for that harsh reminder of the times; that despite it all, they could still be young, and themselves, and celebrating it.

Eventually the laughing fit died out to gasping giggles that could have made even Long Feng start cooing, and Zuko collapsed into the water next to Sokka. Sokka just shook his head fondly at the firebender, and relaxed contentedly as the waves gently nudged them together, shoulder to hip. Spontaneously, Sokka reached out and ruffled Zuko's salty wet hair the way he'd done to the Duke a million times. "Happy summer solstice," he said.

"It's not the solstice," said Zuko, a puzzled little scowl on his face. "That was more than a month ago."

"Well, it feels like a holiday," Sokka replied lazily, relishing the feel of the retreating water tugging his toes ever deeper into the sandy seafloor.

"It's the furthest thing from a holiday," Zuko protested, the slight crinkle of his brow signaling the return of his usual intense focus. "We're training to end a war -"

"Zuko." Sokka cut him off by fixing the other boy with a _look_. Sometimes Zuko just needed things to be spelled out for him. "I'm trying to say that today's a special day, thanks to you."

"Oh," Zuko said, sitting up straighter and angling his body towards Sokka's. Sokka swallowed, suddenly extremely conscious that they were practically breathing each other's air, and since when could he hear the pounding of his own heart?

Zuko's face was tilted up ever so slightly towards the sun, subconsciously drawn to his element, lips still parted from laughter and shining with saltwater. Sokka's mind went blank, consumed entirely with wondering how they tasted.

"Zuko … " It came out as a whine.

Fuck it.

Sokka leaned in.

"Good morning daddies!" yelled a young voice from the shore. Both boys snapped their heads around to see the Duke run down to the water, fully dressed, and splash his way in. "I can't swim!" the boy announced cheerfully.

* * *

After fishing a now-wannabe waterbender out of the ocean, the three of them sat on the beach, letting the warm rays of the sun chase away the last of the chill from the water. The Duke was still occasionally coughing up seawater from when a wave had caught him unawares.

"Never turn your back on the ocean," Zuko lectured both of them, stern tone belied by the way he was fondly rubbing soothing circles into the boy's back.

"Exactly," Sokka agreed, watching his little family, heart full of affection. "Or else you might miss what's right in front of you."

* * *

**A/N:** Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Frohe Weihnachten! Wait, but this is a summer fic … well, the Southern Hemisphere Christmas experience is valid too, so here's to all of you Saffas and other Southern Africans, Aussies, Kiwis, most South Americans, various Islanders, and everyone at McMurdo and other research outposts at the bottom of the world. Honestly, as much as I love a good ski holiday, some of my best Christmas memories are those summer surf trips or climbing excursions.

…Aaand I just realized that between this and DaH ch7, I wrote two nearly-identical romantic scenes, and just switched up the framing element. Whoops.


End file.
